Biography
Beth Macy is the Democratic nominee challenging incumbent Ben Cline for Virginia's 6th District. A longtime Roanoke Times reporter and best-selling author whose books include Factory Man, Dopesick and Paper Girl, she has not previously held elected office. She describes her campaign as focused on affordable health care, strong schools and rural communities.[1][2][3]
Macy grew up in Urbana, Ohio, the daughter of a factory worker and a housepainter, according to Wikipedia; her campaign website says she grew up poor in a small Ohio town and was the first in her family to go to college.[2][3] According to Wikipedia, she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University in 1986 and a master's degree in creative writing from Hollins University in 1993.[3] She spent 25 years as a reporter for The Roanoke Times, according to her campaign website, and settled in Roanoke, where she and her husband raised two children.[2][4]
Macy was awarded a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University in 2010 and a Guggenheim Fellowship for general nonfiction in 2023, according to Wikipedia.[3] She is the author of Factory Man (2014), Truevine (2016), Dopesick (2018), Raising Lazarus (2022) and Paper Girl (2025). Her campaign website says Dopesick was adapted into an Emmy- and Peabody-winning Hulu series that she helped produce and write.[2][3]
Macy announced her candidacy for the 6th District on November 18, 2025; the Democratic primary was canceled and she advanced as the nominee. She has not previously held elected office.[3][4]
- 1.Virginia's 6th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 2.Beth Macy for Congress · Beth Macy for Congress Candidate's own words
- 3.Beth Macy · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 4.Beth Macy · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
